Nissan returns to Le Mans with electric race car in 2014

After making waves with the DeltaWing, the automaker looks to make sparks.

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Nissan has flirted with the 24 Hours of Le Mans for decades, fielding everything from full-fledged GT and prototype entries to simply providing engines for cars in the P2 class.

And, as fans saw last year, Nissan acted as the power provider and a partial financier for the freaky DeltaWing. The DeltaWing's inclusion in the race came as part of the organizer's first "Garage 56" competition, which challenged manufacturers to bring new technologies to the legendary endurance race outside the conventional class and rule structure that governs it.

Nissan struck gold, and the DeltaWing captured the attention of curious car enthusiasts everywhere. With a limited marketing scope beyond Le Mans, however, Nissan needed to find a new project. That project will manifest itself with a 2014 visit to Garage 56, as Nissan fields an all-electric race car.

Rumors of a grand return by Nissan to the top-tier prototype ranks have circulated for some time, giving rise to the belief that whatever the automaker brings to Le Mans in 2014 will serve as a testbed for an all-out assault in 2015.

"We say we're about innovation and excitement," said Nissan global motorsports director Darren Cox during an interview aired on RadioLeMans.com. "If we weren't trying to get Garage 56 every year, we wouldn't be innovative.

"That particular entry is put in place for the most innovative car that year. That's what we're all about. We're not about using it once and walking away from it. We really want to utilize that opportunity to show our innovation."

We aren't sure what technology will emerge with Nissan's EV racer, but if there's any chance of an electric equivalent to the faulty wastegate that gave Mark Blundell's 1990 Nissan R90CK 1,000 horsepower during Le Mans qualifying, we're all for it.